Entertainment News Archive - December 22, 2005

By Isabel Reynolds TOKYO (Reuters) - None of the recent wave of Chinese
martial arts films would be complete without the protagonists'
jewel-coloured silk robes rippling across the screen as they
swoop into battle.

By Nellie Andreeva LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Christina Ricci will
guest-star in a special episode of ABC's sophomore hit "Grey's
Anatomy" slated to air February 5 after the network's broadcast
of Super Bowl XL. The plot for the episode of the medical drama is being kept
under wraps.

By Arthur Spiegelman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gay and political films are
dominating this year's Academy Awards race with some experts
expecting that Oscar will wind up wearing pink, either for
left-leaning politics or sexual preference.

By Bob Tourtellotte LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It seems fitting that new movie
"The White Countess" tells of the end of an era and a
friendship because it also marks the final collaboration of
filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant.

By Jeffrey Goldfarb and Karin Strohecker LONDON/BERLIN (Reuters) - A dearth of strong, local films
severely dented box office revenue in most of Europe this year,
with only Britain holding steady thanks to a stream of
homegrown favourites such as "Pride & Prejudice" and the latest
"Harry Potter." German film executives expect a decline of as much as 20
percent even with end-of-year help from blockbusters "King
Kong" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and
the Wardrobe," while France, Spain and Italy could end the year
down more than 10 percent, according to industry estimates.

Corrects film name in the 14th paragraph By Bob Tourtellotte LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It seems fitting that new movie
"The White Countess" tells of the end of an era and a
friendship because it also marks the final collaboration of
filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant.

By Cynthia Littleton LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The ratings keep moving
in the right direction for NBC's "Deal or No Deal." The game show, airing this week as a five-night stunt that
began on Monday, pulled its largest audience of its three
airings so far Wednesday amid largely repeat competition.

By Jonathan Cohen NEW YORK (Billboard) - Mariah Carey moved a step closer to
the Beatles' record of 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100
Thursday as "Don't Forget About Us" ascended one rung to the
top of the singles chart in its 11th week.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - David Letterman once had a woman
stalk him for five years and now he has a female fan accusing
him of sending coded messages to her over the airwaves. And he
also has a New Mexico judge who has issued a restraining order
for him to stop.